NC State down to 46 scholarship players not counting kickers

'08 Football Football Recruiting General49

This column has been provided by a guest author Todd Lion.

After viewing the post yesterday describing NC State’s injury woes and last week’s entry discussing the high rate of attrition from Amato’s last two classes, I thought it would be worth it to examine who is available to play instead of focusing on those not available to play. From my latest examination of the GoPack.com roster, the Wolfpack has 73 players on scholarship this season.

Let us begin this examination by eliminating those players who are currently unavailable to play in the ECU game due to injury.

Incoming recruits sidelined due to season-ending injuries as seniors in high school:
1. LB Terrell Manning
2. FB Colby Jackson
3. TE Mario Carter

Players sidelined due to injury:
4. RB Toney Baker
5. S Javon Walker
6. S Clem Johnson
7. RB Jamelle Eugene
8. WR Donald Bowens
9. OL Curtis Crouch
10. DT Alan Michael Cash
11. WR Geron James
12. TE Anthony Hill
13. TE Matt Kushner

Additionally, we can subtract those true freshmen who are voluntarily sitting out the year to redshirt.

Attempting to Redshirt:
14.OL Zach Allen
15.RB Brandon Barnes
16.LB William Beasley
17.CB Akeem Cunningham
18.QB Mike Glennon
19.CB Gary Grant
20.OL RJ Mattes
21.OL Andrew Wallace
22.S CJ Wilson
23.S Earl Wolff

Removing these 23 players from our original count of 73 leaves us with 50 players available to use this weekend. Four of those players are special teams members (Bradley Pierson, Jeff Ruiz, Corey Tedder, and Josh Czajkowski) and can also be excluded from this discussion.

What we are left with is a completely emaciated team of 46 healthy, scholarship players. This is the group that’s supposed to fill out a 44-player two-deep, play 60 minutes of football, and just pray for no more injuries. It’s really no wonder that the Pack is turning to multiple walk-ons to play meaningful snaps. And it’s also really no wonder that the Pack is losing some games.

Here is the count of the currently healthy, scholarship players:

Seniors (10):
1. QB D. Evans (RS)
2. RB A. Brown
3. OL J. Bedics (RS)
4. OL M. Green (RS)
5. DT A. Holmes
6. DT K. Willis (RS)
7. DE J. Clemmons
8. LB R. Leonard (RS)
9. CB J. Gray (RS)
10. S JC Neal

Juniors (10):
11. QB H. Beck (RS)
12. OL A. Barbee (RS)
13. OL T. Larsen (RS)
14. OL J. McCuller (RS)
15. OL J. Williams (RS)
16. DT L. Burgess
17. DE W. Young (RS)
18. DE S. McKeen (RS)
19. LB R. Michel (RS)
20. CB K. George (RS)

Sophomores (10):
21. RB C. Underwood
22. WR D. Davis (RS)
23. WR O. Spencer (RS)
24. WR J. Williams (RS)
25. OL G. Gregory (RS)
26. OL J. Vermiglio (RS)
27. DE A. Augustin (RS)
28. DE M. Kuhn
29. LB N. Irving (RS)
30. CB D. Morgan (RS)

Freshmen (16):
31. QB R. Wilson (RS)
32. WR TJ Graham
33. WR S. Howard (RS)
34. WR J. Smith (RS)
35. TE G. Bryan (RS)
36. OL H. Lawson (RS)
37. OL D. Roberts (RS)
38. DT W. Crawford (RS)
39. DE J. Rieskamp (RS)
40. DE JR Sweezy (RS)
41. LB A. Cole (RS)
42. LB S. Lucas
43. LB D. Maddox
44. CB D. Ellis
45. S J. Byers (RS)
46. S J. Simmons (RS)

When you look at these numbers, it’s almost a surprise the Pack can even field a team without resorting to using even more true freshmen. Currently, the Pack has one healthy tight end, three healthy safeties, four healthy cornerbacks, and two healthy running backs. Now, that’s not to say anything negative about the walk-ons who have contributed. FB Taylor Gentry, FB Harrison Ritcher, TE Eric Weaver, LB Ryan Goodman, and OL Matt White have all contributed and aided the Wolfpack with their efforts. Any more injuries and the Pack will be looking at some true freshmen.

But with 10 seniors, 10 juniors and 10 sophomores on the depth chart, that leaves the Pack looking at 14 freshmen to even fill out the two-deep. That’s not a recipe for an easy season especially when you consider the non-conference schedule includes an SEC team on the road and two teams currently ranked in the top 20.

We can also use this as an opportunity to examine the numbers for the Pack’s recruiting class this year. If we start with our 73 scholarships used this year and subtract the 13 seniors, we see that 60 scholarships are reserved for next season. Perhaps we can add John Ware to that number, as he will hopefully return from an academic suspension for the 2009 season. That 61 allows a class of 24 players to be added before bumping into the 85-man limit. Adding the inevitable attrition that occurs in the offseason, I would not be surprised to see a 26-27 man recruiting class for O’Brien and his staff this year.

'08 Football Football Recruiting General

49 Responses to NC State down to 46 scholarship players not counting kickers

  1. Wolf Dog 09/17/2008 at 6:46 AM #

    Hiring Trestman extremely hurt CTC. Trestman didn’t recruit players. One year Trestman was given credit for bringing a total of 1 recruit. Not only did he not succeed at the college level, the man didn’t even go out and get himself some players.

    Bunting and Amato lost a lot of players. Several factors including higher admission standards for both schools the past few years lead to weaker recruiting classes and having to take more risks on who we were recruiting. With the ACC and the NCAA uping their standards to State’s we will be able to recruit again on a level playing field.

    UNC and State in the same boat as far as rebuilding. Remember Butch was shocked at the lack of players at UNC. Didn’t even have a spring scrimmage game two years ago cause they didn’t have enough players.

    Yes we rebuilding which is why I think TOB and staff are willing to put Wilson in a learn on the job position. We playing for the future.

  2. Sw0rdf1sh 09/17/2008 at 7:13 AM #

    Todd must have had a part in “Electric Boogaloo”, because he just broke it down like no one else.

    I’m very pleased with this article and how it easy it makes even the least informed understand the Pack situation.

    I would be expecting Heather Dinich to link this to the ACC Blog (at least she should).

  3. Dogbreath 09/17/2008 at 7:16 AM #

    I still have concerns about what is being emphasized in our offseason conditioning. A cursory glance at our sidelines reveals a lot of potbellies and rubbing thighs on our offensive lineman.

    I won’t name names, but at least 5 of our 8 lineman who are seeing action are not even close to being in game shape. This points to a lack of conditioning and preparation from May to August.

    To Amato’s credit, his first few years here the offseason program was excellent. I remember him emphasizing weight loss his first year. I also witnessed the offensive lineman running laps around Derr track as a unit in the summer.

    Don’t know where this discipline went his last few years, or if its even around the program these days.

    I do know that we had less talent in 2000 and 2001 (Keegan Weir, William Brown, Derek Green, etc.) than now, but far superior performance.

  4. Noah 09/17/2008 at 8:03 AM #

    I do know that we had less talent in 2000 and 2001 (Keegan Weir, William Brown, Derek Green, etc.) than now, but far superior performance.

    Who recruited and coached those guys first?

    I’d take Robbie Caldwell over any OL coach in the country.

  5. partialqualifier 09/17/2008 at 8:07 AM #

    First of all….this is an absolutely terrific article. I think I am going to print this off and keep it for reference as the season goes on.

    Secondly…I have seen a few references to State fans who apparently are being too hard on the coaches. I, for one, have not seen many posts at all that I would characterize as being too harsh. Furthermore…there arent even many fans walking the streets or attending games that are too harsh. Yea, you get the occassional boos and shouts of frustration…but I think if you polled all State fans TOB would get around 85-90% approval rating…which is plenty high for a coach.

    Finally, I hope the fact that some of us disagree with one or more decisions of the coaching staff (ie…Beck playing more at QB)…does not lead any of you to characterize that as being too harsh. If it is too harsh to question one or two decisions of a guy making millions of dollars coaching a kids game, then I am sorry.

    Bottom line is….given all that has happened the last couple of years, no coach doing it the right way could do much better than TOB. Notice there are only 2 true sophomores and 4 true freshman available. This means he is redshirting our guys just like he did at BC. Hopefully, in a couple of years we will be playing with mostly RS juniors and Seniors and will be a lot better than we are today.

  6. SEAT.5.F.2 09/17/2008 at 8:22 AM #

    I can think of three players off the top off my head that were probably brought in by TOB as walk on w/ aggod shot of earning a schollie.

    -Cameron Hardesty from Indiana
    -Jordan Monk from MA
    -Travis Leggett from NC

    There is another OL from Md I think, red haired giant kid who could fit this mold aswell.

    All under the radar types that could round out classes and build the type of experienced group of guys Noah mentioned.

    BTW, Noah really hammered home a great point above that everyone should take notice of, and that is the amount of energy the staff will have to pour into teaching this young men the ropes from just being away from home, dressing out and so on is daunting. It reminds of how appreciative TOB is of a guy like Grahm who seems to have naturally made they transition (probably being so close to home helps). Well thought out Noah.

    You get a chance to see them play for you a full year and decide accordingly if they earned one or not.

  7. Daily Update 09/17/2008 at 8:35 AM #

    In 2000 and 2001, just on the OL we had guys like Scott Koostra(NFL), Sean Locklear(NFL), and Chris Colmer(NFL).

    Amazing how we forget players like those.

    Not on the OL, we had three pro bowlers:

    P. Rivers
    K. Robinson
    A. Wilson

    Plus other starters/fring NFL guys
    Brian Williams
    Terrence Holt
    Levar Fisher
    Corey Smith
    Clayton White(still on 2000 team right?)

    Not to mention fabulous, all-ACC types of players in Dantonia Burnette, Ray Robinson and Willie Wright.

  8. WV Wolf 09/17/2008 at 8:55 AM #

    Thanks for compiling this info Todd, good stuff. At this rate we’ll have to go old school and have guys play both ways.

  9. SEAT.5.F.2 09/17/2008 at 9:02 AM #

    Correction:

    Hardesty is the player from Md, and Andrew Cobb was the player from the MidWest, Illinois.

    I excited about seeing who we convince to sign up for the program this year. All of the early signees have potential as athletes, but they sound as if they are tremendous high character inividuals.

  10. Greywolf 09/17/2008 at 9:35 AM #

    Some of us are positive by nature and some of us are negative. Just as there is not one thing wrong with criticism, looking to find positives when the negatives are obvious is perfectly alright as well. BJD95 does a fine job of this. Noah may have pessimistic predictions but I take no offense at his comments. Both are the best of State fans. When positive comments are made, the boo birds have no problem claiming the positive comments are “ridiculous.”

    I do have a problem with the posts that are derisive, insulting and ridicule our players. So while some of us are so arrogant as to think our ill-advised opinions and comments berating the coaches and players are cute and funny and by doing so elevate themselves to true expert status, I don’t. I find especially ludicrous the claims that there could be no disagreement. Pardon me while I barf. Claiming to see where the coaches are failing, does NOT make you an expert.

    I take the position that athletic teams are like children: when they deserve love and support the least is when they need it the most. I have the right to love and support the Pack in these trying times when they may not exactly deserve love and support. I also happen to be a flaming asshole. When it comes to idiots piling anonymous ridicule on players, that “assholism” comes to the surface very quickly. Your way may be to berate the team and call to question the coaches knowledge and the players ability and ridicule them for their failure. My way of supporting them is to confront every BS ridiculing, derisive comment I see.

    So if you are sensitive and being called out is painful, apply some of that sensitivity to your criticism of the players and TOB and avoid the pain. Have a nice day. 😉

  11. bradleyb123 09/17/2008 at 10:33 AM #

    Does anyone know an email address where I can contact “Par Shooter”? He was looking to sell some basketball tickets in another thread, and never responded to my post about that.

    If you do, feel free to email me at [email protected]

  12. Scooter 09/17/2008 at 11:01 AM #

    We rarely agree, but I agree 100% with Greywolf on his posts so far.

    The o-line position is one of the most difficult to recruit at the college level and coach. They play a large factor in the success or failure of each offensive snap. For all of the good he did on the defensive side of the ball, Amato could not recruit an offensive lineman to save his life. Putting together an offensive line takes time (measured in years, not in months of offseason) and luck (low injuries). Not only must both of those factors be in place, but the linemen have to be able to work cohesively (synergy to you corporate types). As far as the o-line is concerned, it takes time. Given that the cupboard was baren when TOB arrived, it is no surprise that even in Year 2, he his having a tremendous amount of difficulty at that position. Given the defenses NC State will face this season, there is a low margin for error for these guys.

  13. Wolfenstein1 09/17/2008 at 11:05 AM #

    Thank’s to the posters like Greywolf who were willing to write and give informed opinions. Some of the people who like to hijack the forums with junk and spout off about our coaches and team really add nothing positive. I can’t understand why or how some continue to feel the need to blast the coaches and team. Again I appreciate well written columns and comments like his. I wish more columns like Todd lions were on Packpride.

  14. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 09/17/2008 at 11:28 AM #

    I want Mike O’Cain back!

  15. wolf pack 09/17/2008 at 2:18 PM #

    i’m still confident this weekend.
    This is the same ECU team we beat last year.
    GO GET EM PACK!

  16. TomCat 09/17/2008 at 2:47 PM #

    No two college seasons are alike: (ECU lost 48-7 to WVA last year beat them 23-6 two weeks ago). If ECU chews on the NC State defense as it did vs WVA in the first half… depth & fatigue will become a problem- just as it has been this entire season. *BUT* If State chews the clock, scores & keeps Pinkney on the sidelines in the first half… it’s going to be a war in the 2nd half. The defense is there to do it. The offense has to step up and do it’s part. Wilson get exponentially better with every quarter under his belt.

  17. Par Shooter 09/17/2008 at 3:05 PM #

    I actually thought that Marty Galbraith was also a good OL coach and a big loss for Chuck when he went to the Chiefs. Marty took a lot of heat for his play calling (mostly undeserved IMO) but his OL’s always seemd to execute well. It was a big dropoff when Barry came to town.

  18. bradleyb123 09/17/2008 at 3:21 PM #

    Par Shooter,

    Are you still looking to sell your basketball tickets?

    If so, email me at [email protected]. I might be interested.

  19. Noah 09/17/2008 at 3:49 PM #

    I didn’t think the problem with Barry was coaching. It wasn’t like his departure marked an improvement along the line.

    I know a lot of people celebrated him leaving and talked about how good things were going to be when Pat Meyer (I think that was his name) took over. I didn’t see it. Poe tay toe puh-tah-toe, I guess.

  20. inhoc... 09/17/2008 at 4:56 PM #

    i heard a rumor that eugene and hill might be back for ECU but havnt been able to verify it anywhere. is this true in any capacity?

  21. choppack1 09/17/2008 at 8:27 PM #

    Par Shooter – Marty was an OK OC, great OL coach. I wasn’t impressed w/ his work much of his 2001 and 2002, but he certainly had his moments. One year, he had a healthy TA – and that along w/ Rivers could make any OC look good.

  22. Tom O is my herO 09/17/2008 at 8:36 PM #

    heard coach talk tonight at the student wolfpack club meeting…he sounded optimistic about the ECU game…mentioned that we had a great last two days of practice and hopes for another tmrw.

    hopefully the injuries wont cripple us, and we can at least keep it close.

    GO PACK!!!

  23. SEAT.5.F.2 09/18/2008 at 7:24 AM #

    Good on understanding on the rule of 25% or less games played in order to be eligible for Medical RS. Does anyone know concretely if a player who is voluntarily RS in the past is given Medical RS later?

    It could be a morale victory by years end to know that even if we miss a Bowl we may have the services of some key players longer.

    Cash would have 2 yrs (if he doesn’t recover fast from knee injury)
    Kushner – 2 years
    Walker – 3 years
    Eugene – 2 years
    Baker – 2 years

    It would make for an interesting team in terms of experience alone if they make it back through rehab and were awarded the extra eligibility.

    Clinging for something to look forward to, count me in the Noah group of thinking this years team is what it is.

  24. Greywolf 09/18/2008 at 11:22 AM #

    I for one am going to stop my “logical” thinking about this team and about the whole athletics program in general What do I mean by that?

    I can’t “logically” explain what I mean but here are some examples of the kind of “logically” thinking we can find on these pages if we bother to look:
    If we are in the bottom 100 in all offensive categories, “logically” we can’t score and therefore will not win another game.
    If we lost our X number of starters, “logically” we can’t compete against Div 1 teams and will be lucky to win another game.
    W&M’s OL played well against us, so “logically” we suck.
    We have a lot of injuries, so “logically” our strength and conditioning coach is terrible.
    We have had attrition in our recruiting classes, so logically TOB is a terrible recruiter
    OR something is wrong with TOB’s relationship with the recruits. UNX has (however many more) commitments than we do, “logically” then Butch Davis is a better recuiter than TOB
    and “logically” then we will get the leftovers
    and “logically” then we will be doomed forever to lose to Carolina.

    And “logically” any recruit who reads SFN knows our AD sucks, our Basketball program sucks, we hired the “wrong” football and basketball coaches plus the ‘fact’ that we have the “wrong” baseball coach.

    On top of all that our “Game Day Experience” sucks, is not as good as Clemson’s or (again, fill in the blank).

    The fan base is going to cause all this to change by “logically” stop attending football games and “logically” stop giving money to the WPC so “logically” the BOT will pressure the Chancellor to “logically” fire the AD which “logically” insures that “logically” the athletics program will rise to the top and “logically” be the kind of program that this loyal fan base “logically” deserves.

    And the most logical of all, if the AD said the internet blogs and message boards were inhabited by the Lunatic Fringe and 1/1000 of 1 percent of Wolfpack fans were a part of the blogs and message boards WHEN he sad it, then we can “logically” claim he was insulting all Wolfpack fans.

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